PITTSBURGH (TNS) — Pennsylvania casinos didn’t set any records in September, but they still had a good run.
Total revenue generated by the state’s 15 casinos — the money gamblers lost — hit $415.6 million last month, a 46% increase over the same month in 2020, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Leading the way was sports wagering, which soared 350.6% from $6.26 million to $28.2 million. The handle was nearly $578.8 million compared to $462.8 million in September 2020.
There’s an easy explanation for the increase in sports wagering revenue, gaming board spokesman Richard McGarvey said. Casinos won more than gamblers this September. “This year was good for the casinos. Last year, there were more individuals winning,” he said.
Other big gains involved internet gaming, up 71.5% to $97.8 million, and table games, up 42.1% to $84.1 million. Slot machine revenues totaled $198.8 million, an increase of 26.3%.
Regional casinos benefited from the surge.
For the month, total revenues for Rivers Casino on the North Shore jumped nearly 43.6% to $33.1 million. Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington County saw revenues climb nearly 48.5% to $18.9 million. Revenues at Lady Luck Casino in Nemacolin totaled $2.3 million, a 13.4% increase.
In its first September of operation, Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County produced nearly $9.2 million in total revenue.
At Rivers Casino, slot revenues jumped 31.9% for the month to $22.6 million; table game revenues totaled $8.1 million, a 56.7% increase; and sports wagering hit $2.4 million, a whopping 219.4% boost.
Hollywood Casino at the Meadows saw slot revenues reach $13.9 million, a 17.4% increase. Table game revenues rose 57.4% to $2.8 million. However, sports wagering revenue fell 335.2% to $2.1 million.
Despite the gains, total monthly revenues did not hit the record high — $423.6 million in July. Nonetheless, September turned out to be the second-highest month ever in Pennsylvania, followed by August.
